1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a symbol display apparatus used for a game machine, such as a slot machine, a pachinko machine, and the like.
2. Background Arts
Many game machines such as a slot machine, a pachinko machine, and the like are equipped with a symbol display apparatus. As for the known symbol display apparatus for the game machine, for example, there are a mechanical reel type using reels outer peripheries of which carry plural kinds of symbols, and a video type displaying simulative reels on a CRT or a liquid crystal display based on graphic data stored on a ROM.
In the slot machine, when a start button or a start lever is operated after insertion of a coin (the coin described in this specification includes a token and a medal.), symbols start rotating. Then, when the reels are stopped by operation of stop buttons provided for each of the reels, or the reels stop automatically after passing predetermined time, a win or loss is decided according to a combination of the symbols displayed on a winning line crossing display windows. When a win occurs, coins the number of which is correspondent to the combination of the symbols are paid out as a prize.
By the way, an ordinary symbol display apparatus has a disadvantage that a game tends to be monotonous because only one symbol combination is completed in one game. Also in the symbol display apparatus of the mechanical reel type, it is difficult to increase diversity of the symbol combinations because many kinds and a number of symbols cannot be arranged on one reel. To solve this disadvantage, are suggested various symbol display apparatuses having a double reel, which is composed of an outer reel and an inner reel rotating inside the outer reel. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 3-60681 discloses to form an opening in a reel body of the outer reel which is made of light shielding material. In a slot machine disclosed in the document, when the outer reel stops and the opening appears in the display window the inner reel rotates again and changes the symbol, so that another chance for a win is given to a lost game.
However, in the symbol display apparatus with the double reel like above, inner symbols arranged on the inner reel and outer symbols arranged on the outer reel are overlapped. Therefore, there is a disadvantage that when a backlight disposed inside the inner reel illuminates the inner and outer reels, colors of the inner symbols are reflected in the outer symbols and spoil appearance of the outer symbols. Against the disadvantage, there is away that does not color the inner symbols. However, this way makes it impossible to clear and emphasize a value and a part of each inner symbol.